


of oceans, skies, and pretty eyes

by autumndark



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, First Meetings, M/M, Merman Mark, but don't worry there is a happy ending, drama and diet angst, my specialty is fluff with angst, pirate lucas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 15:16:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15294276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumndark/pseuds/autumndark
Summary: The stories all say that a love between a human and a merman is doomed to fail from the start.Mark has never bothered to question this until one day, fate delivers to him a human pirate that is everything that Mark never knew he wanted.Lucas is beautiful, sweet, and radiant like bottled sunshine; and his arrival has Mark wondering if perhaps this time, the stories are wrong.





	of oceans, skies, and pretty eyes

**Author's Note:**

> hello again! i've had merman!mark stuck in my head ever since i saw him paddling around the pool in DOTB lol.  
> i was planning to post this on thursday but then that lumark vlive happened and like, who needs fic anymore when reality outsold alsdkfjlskjdf
> 
> also! [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/autumndark/playlist/6c2e6HpSMALVn86dD1317D) is a playlist of all the songs i listened to while writing this that i don't expect anyone to actually listen to but here it is anyway :')

The human walks over to the edge of the boat’s deck and sets himself down, sitting with ease so that his long legs hang loosely over the ship’s edge as he pulls out a strange tube-like contraption.

 _A telescope_ , Mark remembers it being called.

He raises it to his eye and peers out at the vast expanse of ocean before him, its murky depths disguised by a layer of calm stillness. occasionally disturbed by the ebbing flow of the tide at nighttime. As the sight of the glass passes over the area where Mark is floating, the merman quickly ducks his head under water to hide himself until the human gets interrupted by the presence of another man and lowers the telescope.

The new arrival walks over to the first man and calls out to him. “Lucas! We’re going down to resupply now. Are you sure you want to stay here on the ship?”

The first human - _Lucas_ \- replies, laughing good-naturedly “Yes, I’m sure!”

“You always say that.” mutters his companion, placing a hand on his hip. “What’s so fascinating about staring at the ocean anyways? It’s all the same after a while.”

“The land is boring. Not to mention that the townspeople don’t take too kindly to us pirates anyways.” answers Lucas, groaning as he leans back to look up at the other. He raises a hand out to gesture at the scenery in front of them before continuing, his voice is filled with enthusiasm as he says with a wide smile. “Besides, the ocean is so huge. There’s a whole world out there that hasn’t been explored."

“If you say so.” responds the other pirate, casting a cursory look over the dark water before shrugging as he turns around and makes his way back to where the ship is docked at the port. "Alright, suit yourself. We’ll be back before dawn!

Left to his own devices, Lucas waves his crew member off and returns to observing the sea with an expression of childlike fascination painted upon his handsome face.

Something about this particular human piques Mark’s curiosity and so he decides to linger by the coastline for a little longer, carefully hidden from view by the shadows, and leaving only a pair of glittering inhuman eyes visible.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


For the longest time, the human pirate seems to be content with sitting idly and looking out at the stars and sea. With a fading interest, Mark is about to turn around and head home when the man lets out a loud shout.

“Ack! No, come back!”

For a moment, Mark fears that the man must have discovered his presence at some point.

Panicking, Mark turns around to check and finds that this is not the case.

Bent over the edge of the boat’s railing and folded nearly in half, Lucas appears to be struggling to chase his telescope from where it had fallen down the side of the ship and into the seawater, slowly sinking to the bottom.

 _That won’t work_ , thinks Mark.

Lucas must have come to the same conclusion because the human straightens up and scurries off into a deeper part of boat and out of Mark’s view. Several minutes later, he reappears on the coastline sans shirt and starts shucking off his leather boots, looking as though he intends to wade out into the night sea to fetch the telescope.

Even under the dim lighting provided by the moon, Mark clearly notes that the rocks around the shore look dangerously jagged, sharp enough to damage small boats that venture too close, let alone vulnerable, unprotected human feet.

Personally, Mark doesn’t think the little gold trinket is worth the hassle of wading out into the cold water, but the man seems determined to retrieve it.

 _It’s probably sunk all the way to the bottom of the sea by now, surely,_  thinks the merman as he observes the human’s antics.  _He won't be able to find it._

Merfolk rarely interact with humans that they don’t already know, and unlike some of the younger kids like Jisung and Chenle, Mark doesn’t enjoy interacting with human strangers for fun nor does he particularly want to allow himself to be discovered by pirates. Despite that, this man ( _a boy, really_ , amends the merman as he takes in the human’s large eyes and youthful-looking face) doesn’t seem dangerous and the telescope must be important to him.

Growing up, Mark has always held a strong sense of ethics and doing what is morally right, a trait that is both his strongpoint and his downfall, and before he even realises what he’s doing, the merman finds himself swimming over towards the side of the ship where Lucas had been previously sitting.

Mind made up, Mark dives down into the water, plunging deep to the floor of the ocean within minutes; his powerful tail flicking behind him and propelling him down faster than any human could ever.

Naturally, his eyes begin to adjust to the pitch-black darkness and he makes out the faint sparkle of the telescope resting gently on the ground.

As his fingers grasp around the metal contraption, an errant thought worries at his mind.

 _I hope I don’t regret doing this._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The human boy has barely gotten his feet wet when the merman calls out to him.

“This is yours, right?” says Mark, lifting the thin gold tube high above his head and out of the water.

Lucas squints at him before straightening up in shock and yelling out in a surprisingly deep, husky voice that echoes around the deserted beach, “Oh my god! How did you find that?”

“I happened to be in the area when you dropped it.” replies Mark, shrugging as he swims close enough to hand the telescope over.

The pads of their fingertips brush against each other during the exchange and Mark notes that the human’s hands are rough and warm in comparison to his own smooth, cool ones.

“Thank you so much! Oh my god, I don’t know how I would have found this on my own.” says Lucas, smiling gratefully at him.

The man gazes fondly at the telescope and cradles the item close to his chest. Watching him, Mark feels like he has made the right decision.

“I got this as a present when I was a child.” he explains, squatting down to be at eye-level with Mark and whispering quietly even though they are the only two souls inhabiting the beach at the moment. Sombrely, he continues “It’s the only reminder I have of my family and hometown now. So thank you for returning it to me."

“It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help you.” says Mark sincerely, retreating down into the water so that only half of his face peeks out.

“I guess it was lucky that you were out swimming so late!” laughs the tall boy, putting his shoes back on and taking a seat by the water’s edge. “I’m Lucas, by the way! What’s your name?”

Lucas is lovely and sweet but Mark still has enough self-preservation in his bones to be wary of human pirates.

Mark has half a mind to just swim away without offering any explanation but then Lucas smiles encouragingly at him, softly as though Mark is a flighty bird, and something about the human draws him in like a moth to a white-hot flame.

“I’m Mark.” answers the merman finally, giving in to the human’s magnetic pull.

“Mark? That’s a cute name.” replies Lucas, resting his cheek in his hand and grinning widely. “So Mark, why are you out swimming at night in the first place? It’s pretty cold out here.”

“Um.” says Mark, blinking rapidly. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead when he had made the impulsive decision to rescue the boy’s item.

“Do you live in the town?” tries Lucas, sensing Mark’s hesitance and providing him an excuse.

“Something like that, yeah.” answers Mark, sinking further into the water and drifting backwards slowly, putting some distance between himself and the human.

“If you’re from here, then you might have seen some of my crew mates.” says Lucas, humming thoughtfully and tapping a finger on his cheek. "We’ve actually stopped by here a couple of times, you know.” he elaborates, wriggling his eyebrows playfully. “Jaehyun and Doyoung tend to-“

Anything else that he had been planning to say gets cut off by a loud foghorn from the pier, startling both of them.

In his fright, Mark shudders and flips backwards, the tips of his indigo tail flapping up to the surface. It’s only a brief second of exposure but that quick glimpse is ample time for the pirate to be able to put the pieces together.

Already-large eyes widening even further, Lucas shouts “Wait! You’re a mer-“

At Mark’s visible panic, Lucas lowers his voice and tries again.

“You’re a mermaid?” he murmurs, staring at Mark in awe.

Self-consciously, Mark retreats down into the water, fighting the urge to hide away completely and stutters out “T-the proper term would be merman or merperson, actually."

“Oh right, a merman! Yes! That’s really cool.” says Lucas, nodding in understanding as he raises his hands up in a soothing manner to try and calm Mark down.

It doesn’t work much and Mark is already feeling pretty jittery, disappearing into the water and only poking his head back up when he is a wide distance away from the shoreline. As he backs away, Mark realises that the horizon is beginning to lighten; he had been so caught up in Lucas that he hadn’t even noticed before.

As he turns around to return home, Mark hears Lucas call out.

“Don’t worry, you’re secret’s safe with me.” he says, making a zipper motion across the front of his mouth with his hand.

The grin on his lips is cheeky but the look in his eyes is kind.

Inexplicably, Mark feels like he can trust this human.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


“You went to meet that pirate again didn’t you?” says his best friend, disapprovingly.

It has been nearly a month since his first fateful encounter with Lucas on the beach, and from that day onwards Mark has been regularly taking the time to meet up with the pirate discreetly while his crew have been docked at various ports along the coastline.

Perhaps he had been naive in thinking so, but Mark had been under the impression that he had been successful at keeping the knowledge of their private meetings clandestine from humans and merfolk alike, but evidently not.

“It’s not a big deal.” says Mark, turning to face Jeno’s worried expression. He knows that the other boy only has his best interests at heart but Mark feels that Jeno is overreacting.

Frowning, the merman argues “But it is a big deal. What if you get hurt? Aren’t pirates far more dangerous than regular humans?”

“Lucas is not dangerous.” says Mark, an automatic denial falling from his lips at the accusation.

Jeno glares wordlessly in reproach.

Fidgeting, Mark qualifies “To me, anyway.”

He feels like he has been caught doing something wrong but there are no current laws in merfolk society that expressly disallow conversing with humans, as long as the interactions are innocent and superficial, and do not place the safety of the merperson at risk or jeopardise the existence of merfolk kind as a whole.

Sighing, Jeno tries again in a more mollified tone. “And how exactly do you know that you can trust him?“

Mark shifts uncomfortably. “I don’t know, I just do.”

It sounds like a flimsy excuse even to his own ears.

Over the month, Mark and Lucas have shared stories about their own lives throughout their conversations, and Mark feels like he knows enough about the pirate by now to have formed a good judge of his character.

Lucas has told Mark that he was originally born in Hong Kong and had spent his whole life there growing up but had left after he had lost his family in an unexpected fire. Afterwards, the boy had drifted aimlessly from place to place, committing petty thievery for money and the occasional mercenary job before Captain Seo had stumbled upon him and offered him a place onboard as the youngest member of the _Black Vision_.

Listening to the human’s tales, Mark has found himself becoming attuned, and just a little bit attached, to the way that Lucas’ deep voice pitches up in excitement, stifling giggles behind animated hands, or how it slows down to a lazy drawl in sobriety, during stolen moments of shared honesty.

Unwittingly, the merman has memorised the planes of the other’s face. From the sloping curve of Lucas’ nose, to the soft edges of his smile, to the crinkles in the corners of his eyes when Lucas is feeling especially amused; somehow these precious pieces of information had lodged themselves comfortably in the crevices of Mark’s mind as though they were always meant to be there.

 _But just how well does he really know Lucas?_

Shaking off the questions that he doesn’t feel like dealing with yet, Mark clears his throat and tries to send Jeno what he hopes is a sufficiently placating smile.

“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me. We’re just talking, that’s all it is.” says Mark eventually, fluidly twisting his body around the ocean’s current.

Opposite him, his best friend crosses his arms stiffly and appears unconvinced.

"You should at least tell me before you leave next time.” mumbles Jeno, voice laced with condemnation. He pins Mark with a glare and lectures sternly. “What if something bad happens?”

“It won’t.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Five days after Mark’s confrontation with Jeno, there is a commotion in the underwater city.

As Mark fights his way past the small crowd of onlookers that have gathered, he hears a familiar voice crying out amongst the whispers of the gossiping bystanders.

“I saw it happening right in front of my eyes but I couldn’t stop them!” yells the voice, distress evident in his tone. “You have to do something! Please!”

Eventually, Mark makes it to the front and lets out a gasp as he takes in the scene before his eyes.

Kneeling in the centre of the town square is Renjun, tears streaming down his cheeks but a fiery, determined expression painted upon his countenance as he pleads with the Prince.

“Yes, of course. Calm down, you're okay.” consoles Prince Taeyong, bending close and resting a hand on the younger's shoulder. “Tell me again what happened.”

“Miyoung and Heejun were already lying dea- lying on the ground when I got there.” explains Renjun, his expression pinched. “When I looked up, I saw Sicheng struggling to get out of the net. I tried to help him, I really did! But the ropes were too tough and it all happened so fast.”

He breaks off his explanation and chokes back a sob. The Prince nods understandingly and says “There wasn’t anything that you could have done. It’s not your fault that Sicheng got caught.”

 _What? Sicheng? No…_

Mark staggers back, recoiling in shock and disbelief as he glances around at the crowd. He catches the eye of Jeno where he stands on the other side, sandwiched between Jaemin and Jungwoo, and watching the scene with a morose look.

Taeyong waits for Renjun to compose himself before asking gently “What happened afterwards?”

Renjun’s head is bowed down so Mark cannot make out the expression on the younger boy’s face but his tone sounds defeated and uncharacteristically resigned. “I couldn’t get Sicheng out of the net, so I followed him up to the surface.”

“That’s dangerous, Renjun. You could’ve gotten hurt.” interjects the Prince, cautioning him wisely.

“I couldn’t just do nothing!” retaliates Renjun, puffing up his chest and clenching a fist in anger. “I made sure to stay out of view, but I managed to get a look at them.”

“You saw them?” repeats Prince Taeyong incredulously.

“Yeah, I did.” nods Renjun, scoffing as he spits out the word. "Pirates.”

“I see.” mutters Taeyong gravely. “I had heard news of a mermaid in a neighbouring city going missing recently as well but I didn’t suspect that it would be due to human poachers. We haven’t had any problems with humans for years.”

“I couldn’t see all of them properly, and some of them were wearing hats. I was trying not to get noticed, you know? But I saw-” explains Renjun, syllables tripping up over themselves as he tries to get the words out in a rush, "I saw one of them. He was the one that pulled Sicheng up.”

Renjun pauses, raising his head up so that his fringe no longer shadows his eyes and Mark is surprised by the amount of hatred painted upon the boy’s normally soft face.

Venomously, Renjun continues "I saw him. So clearly, I’ll remember his face until I die.”

The Prince blinks once, studies the other’s face in front of him, and sighs sadly. “What did he look like?”

Frowning, the Renjun replies “Tall. Tanned skin. Dark hair.” He scrunches up the side of his mouth and shrugs. “He was objectively handsome, I suppose. For a human, at least. When he opened his mouth to yell at one of the other humans, his voice was deep and husky. He had a face that isn’t easy to forget.”

Amongst the crowd of onlookers, Jeno meets Mark’s eyes and shakes his head disapprovingly as Mark’s traitorous heart stutters and skips over a beat.

 _It can’t be. His Lucas is too kind for that._

Mark returns Jeno’s look, opening and closing his mouth dumbly as he tries to think of a suitable rebuttal.

“One more thing,” says the smaller boy, his voice unwavering as he adds with conviction, “he was wearing a golden necklace around his neck. When his shirt moved as he hauled up Sicheng’s body, I got good look at the red and black pendant attached to it. It was a tiger.”

“A tiger?” asks Taeyong, sounding out the word carefully.

“Yes.” nods Renjun. “It’s a land animal that I remember seeing in a human book before. I know what it looks like.”

Emphatically, Prince Taeyong pledges that he will do everything in his power to try and save Sicheng, and enact justice upon the pirates that are murdering innocent merpeople like fish bait for the sake of their shiny scales and beautiful tails, as mere trophies for sport, or even worse, as living exhibitions of beautiful cruelty.

Mark drowns his words out, as a ringing noise in his ears forms and grows steadily louder.

The wordless ringing takes shape and all that Mark can hear is Jeno’s voice resounding and repeating inside of his head.

 _How do you know that you can trust him?_

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Mark wonders if he is really a fool because the restless tension that he feels in his chest eases immediately upon seeing Lucas.

The human stands alone on the pier, his tall figure and distinct profile painting a strikingly charismatic picture as he waits for Mark to arrive. Once he notices Mark approaching, Lucas lets out a loud jovial cry that shatters the elegant illusion of his appearance, transforming the atmosphere from cold and unapproachable to warm and welcoming immediately.

“Mark! There you are! I was worried that I had given you the wrong location!” greets the pirate, bounding over towards Mark like an excitably affectionate puppy.

Lucas chuckles as he reaches out a hand to soothe Mark’s wet fringe out of his face, smile reaching his eyes, and takes a seat on the edge of the concrete. They stare at one another for a moment, drinking in the each other’s presence, and Mark notices the Lucas is in unusually high spirits this day.

The pirate is always bright and sunny but today he positively radiates it, sunshine bleeding through his being like a beacon of light.

“Hi Mark.” whispers Lucas, smiling softly down at him.

And just like that, Mark feels all of his reservations disappear, every last one.

 _Lucas would never hurt Mark. How could he have ever doubted him?_

He smiles back.

“Hello Lucas.” says Mark, eyelids drooping half-closed as he luxuriates in the feeling of Lucas’ fingers raking through his matted hair. Peeking up at the human from underneath his lashes, Mark comments when Lucas withdraws his hand, “You’re in a good mood today.”

“You noticed?” asks the other man with a laugh, his nose scrunching up as he does so. He takes a glance around at their surroundings, olden wood planks line the entire side of the port and there are newer buildings visible in the distance that boast a mix of Western and Chinese-style architecture. Grinning, Lucas answers “I suppose it’s because it reminds me of where I grew up in Hong Kong. It’s been quite some time since the crew has stopped by in a town like this in the daytime and I got to venture out into the market.”

Abruptly, Lucas shuffles onto his knees and digs around his pockets.

“Have you ever heard of a marketplace?” Lucas asks, pulling out what appears to be a crumpled ball of white paper.

Lucas is Mark’s closest human companion, the only one that Mark has let into his heart like this. However, he is not the first human that Mark has befriended.

Once, a long time ago when Mark himself had still been a young boy, he had saved a small human child from drowning after the kid had brazenly climbed up the highest cliff on the shoreline and jumped off, plunging headfirst into the sea. After Mark had dragged him back onto the beach, the boy had said that he had been practicing diving and did not need to be saved. The boy also hadn’t offered Mark any thanks after he was done heaving up lungfuls of salty water, and Mark remembers thinking that humans were strange, rude little creatures. Despite his lack of manners (or perhaps because of it), the boy had stubbornly decided to return to the cliff after that, lingering on the same stretch of sand day in and day out as though waiting for something, until Mark had finally approached him again out of curiosity.

Eventually, that boy had grown up and moved away from the beach. Mark doesn’t see him very often anymore but a lot of what the boy had to share with Mark about human culture had stayed with him until today.

Nodding to Lucas, Mark replies “It’s like a place where humans sell things, right?”

“That’s right!” affirms Lucas, unfurling the thin white paper and passing the item inside to Mark.

It’s a miniature replica of a pirate ship, made from a combination of materials including an intricate porcelain sail and bits of soft wood for the deck, lovingly handcrafted with a glossy sheen of paint by a human artisan.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.” comments Mark in awe, turning the little statue over in his hands delicately. “It looks just like your ship, Lucas.”

“It does remind me of the Black Vision, that’s why I got it.” laughs Lucas. "You like it? It’s for you.”  He gently takes Mark’s wrists and pushes the statue closer to the merman.

“For me?” asks Mark, looking up from the toy ship in surprise. “Really? I can have this?”

Lucas giggles and nods. “Yeah, really.”

“Oh.” Mark whispers, feeling touched at the gesture. “Wow. Thank you so much. You didn’t have to though.”

Lucas shakes his head. “But I wanted to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, it’s like you always have to swim so far just to meet me. I thought it might be nice to have a little piece of me at the bottom of the ocean?” Sheepishly, Lucas smiles and tucks both his hands back into his pockets. He sputters out a laugh, voice pitching higher and louder than before. “Does that sound silly? I hope not! Because I, uh, actually got something to remind myself of you as well.”

The pirate pulls out a little mermaid figurine with long flowing yellow hair and a gorgeous turquoise tail that sparkles under the sunlight.

“I couldn’t find a boy version, and your tail is a darker blue than this. But when I saw it, it instantly reminded me of you. I think it’s the eyes.” explains Lucas, displaying the figurine held carefully and reverently in his large hands.

The mermaid has two sapphire-coloured jewels in place of eyes on its dainty face, similar to Mark’s own inhuman blue eyes.

“It’s silly, right?” says Lucas, raising a hand up to rub at his neck self-consciously.

Sincerely, Mark breathes out a fierce denial.

“No. It’s perfect.”

Rising up out of the water, stray droplets clinging to his skin and lashes, Mark leans into Lucas’ space and kisses him sweetly. The human’s lips are hot against his own, and it feels like the heat of Lucas is travelling into Mark’s lungs, burning him from the inside out.

Mark pulls back to ask if this is okay but Lucas stops him, wrapping a strong, muscular arm around the merman’s waist and bringing him back in. When they finally do separate, Mark feels high on the kiss, over the moon with affection for this human.

Just as he feels like all the puzzle pieces are falling into place perfectly, Mark spies something in the corner of his eye as he pulls back from the kiss.

It’s partially hidden by Lucas’ shirt collar but it’s undeniably there and Mark wishes he hadn’t seen it: a thin, gold chain hanging around the pirate’s neck.

A flash of red and black.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Mark. You need to find out what that pendant looks like.” says Jeno evenly.

He sounds exactly like the voice of reason inside Mark’s own head that Mark has been prudently trying to ignore ever since the day he and Lucas shared their first kiss.

Exasperated and stressed, Mark replies curtly “I know, alright! I didn’t confide in you so that you could lecture me.”

Mark knows that he is being unreasonable, childish and immature in a way that he is usually not, however lately his emotions have been straying out of his control.

 _They say that love changes you but Mark doesn’t know if he likes this new version of himself._

“I’m just worried about you.” Jeno sighs and Mark feels like a small kid in front of a disappointed parent. “You can’t keep yourself in the dark because you don’t want to deal with this issue.”

“I’ll figure it out. Just give me a bit more time.” pleads Mark.

Mark sends his friend an apologetic smile. The smile that he receives in return is strained at best and tight around the corners.

“You told me that you think Lucas fits the description that Renjun gave, right?” says Jeno in a low voice. “If that’s true, then we don’t have any time to waste.”

It’s a valid argument and one that has been plaguing Mark’s thoughts for days.

“It’s just-“ starts Mark, cutting himself off and chewing on his lip unsurely. “It might not be him, you know? What if I’m wrong?”

“But what if you’re right?” counters Jeno, raising his eyes to meet directly with Mark’s own wide ones. “And while you’re pretending that everything is okay, more merpeople end up getting hurt? If you have the chance, the _ability_ , to stop bad things from happening, shouldn’t you try and do something?” he reasons.

It is a known fact that Mark has always had a strong sense of justice and ethics, and choosing to appeal to Mark’s moral compass had been a smart move on Jeno’s part.

Blanching, Mark gives in. “Okay. The next time I see him, I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“You should ask him about it, figure out where he stands. Lucas may not be as lovely as you think he is.” Jeno pauses before adding on, gravely. “And if it is what we suspect it to be, you know what you have to do.”

Weakly, Mark argues “It might not come to that.”

“For your sake, I hope that’s the case.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The moonlight reflects off of the still water at night like a perfect mirror to the sky.

Both the ocean and the ship are calm and quiet tonight as all of the souls aboard the _Black Vision_ are sleeping soundly apart from its youngest crew member, an arm propped up on his knee as he idly spins a small golden telescope between long and adept fingers.

The sea is peaceful but Mark feels restless.

“It must be nice to live in the ocean.” comments Lucas, staring down fondly at Mark from his position on the wooden deck.

Like most nights, Lucas has been put on nightwatch duty as one of the lower ranking pirates; both in terms of age and as a more recent addition to the ship, but he doesn’t mind because he says it allows him to watch the stars and contemplate his thoughts. Coincidentally, it is also presents a golden opportunity for the pair to meet in secret alone without worrying about being discovered by Lucas’ crew mates.

“It feels like you don’t have to worry about anything.” continues the human, reaching a hand out as though he intends to trace Mark’s face with his fingers, however the distance between the ship and the sea is too far to make contact. He adds softly, “You look so free swimming in the ocean, like you can go anywhere and do anything that you want.”

“Is that really what you think?” probes Mark, a slight furrow appearing between his brows.

“I mean, it’s like I only became a pirate because I had nowhere else to go, you know?” Lucas confides, throwing Mark a meaningful look. “I don’t mind it that much and it’s definitely better than being stuck on land, but now I’m kinda trapped like this. It’s not terrible but sometimes I wonder what it might be like to be a merman like you and live in the ocean.”

Mark gazes imploringly at the other and asks “Would you want to be a merperson?”

“I don’t know.” says Lucas with a shrug, pondering the question before throwing it back at Mark. “Would you ever want to become a human?"

Blinking at the unexpected response, Mark replies in a faint voice, barely able to be heard over the sound of the waves lapping gently at the side of the ship.

"I like being a merperson, but there are good points and bad points to it, like anything else.” Mark pauses and runs his fingers through the water. “Although, I’ve heard stories of some merpeople who longed for a human lifestyle so badly that they succeeded in transforming themselves. I don’t know how much truth is in those tales however."

Lucas hums contemplatively and seems to accept Mark’s answer, leaning back onto his hands behind him lazily.

In the silver light of the moon, Lucas’ skin is illuminated with an unnatural glow that tenderly caresses his dark hair, making it shine with highlights of gold like Mark’s own.

Merfolk are said to be gorgeous, ethereal creatures, so beautiful in appearance that they could lure sailors into the sea. As Mark stares at Lucas and takes in the human’s appearance, he thinks that Lucas could easily be mistaken for one of Mark’s own kind. In fact, the human pirate is so captivating that Mark thinks Lucas could lure  _him_  onto land and he would gladly follow along guilelessly.

He clears his throat awkwardly, his tongue feeling dry inside his mouth.

“Have you heard about merfolk being captured recently?” asks Mark tentatively.

The other boy doesn’t move for a long time, remaining in his position staring up at the sky for so long that Mark thinks Lucas hadn’t heard him. Just as Mark is about to decide to voice the question again, Lucas quietly replies.

“I have.” The pirate sits up properly and looks out over the water, an intense stare in his eyes that makes Mark feel slightly on edge. "It’s horrible and I don’t like it, but I also know that some of the people that do it are desperate for the money.”

“Would you do it?” whispers Mark, his mouth feeling dry as Lucas turns towards him, pinning his attention onto Mark. The merman clarifies “If you were desperate enough?”

Lucas makes a low sound in the back on his throat. “What makes you ask that? Are you worried about your own safety?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just curious, I guess.” replies Mark, shaking his head and trailing off quietly.

Bringing a large hand up to ruffle his hair, Lucas shifts his weight onto his other arm.

“Hmmm, if things were bad enough. I don’t really know, but I would like to think not.” The pirate watches Mark in silent contemplation. “I would never be able to do that to you, though.”

Faltering under the weight of the pirate’s scrutiny, Mark flutters his eyelids close, avoiding eye contact. Lucas turns back to face the sea, the motion causing the front of his shirt to fall open further, exposing his collarbones as well as the top of thin metal chain hanging loosely around his neck.

Licking his lips in trepidation, Mark decides to bite the bullet and ask the question that’s been burning on his mind since he witnessed the scene in the town centre with Renjun.

“What is that around your neck?” he asks awkwardly, apropos of nothing.

Mark wonders if the abrupt subject change sounds suspicious to the human.

He also wonders if he really wants to know the answer at all.

Lucas looks at him curiously, “Oh, this? It’s a necklace with a pendant.” He pauses for a moment before reaching up to grasp the gold chain in between the tips of his long fingers. “I picked it up because it looks- actually it might just be easier if I show you.“

Standing up, the pirate brushes off his pants and trudges towards the edge of the boat, closer to where Mark hovers, leisurely treading the water.

Mark can feel his heart racing in his ribcage for all the wrong reasons as Lucas unclasps the first few buttons of his shirt and lifts up the long chain. Squinting from his position, Mark thinks he can make out a distinct pattern of red and black on the circular piece of metal.

There isn’t a lot of moonlight hitting the pendant but it’s enough for Mark to _know_. Unlike Renjun, Mark has never seen a picture of a tiger in a book before but he has heard detailed descriptions of them before to know what the animals are supposed to look like.

Crouching down, Lucas smiles languidly at Mark, eyeing the necklace. “Do you not have things like this? I can get you one if you like. They sell necklaces at the marketplace as well.”

The pirate continues, oblivious to Mark’s inner turmoil.

“Back home, people used to call me ‘little tiger’ when I was young but then I grew up so fast that they changed it to ‘big tiger’.” He laughs without mirth. “No one calls me that anymore, obviously, and I’ve never told the others on the ship about it.”

Lucas perks up suddenly, remembering something.

“Actually, that other time I was debating about whether or not I should have gotten a little tiger statue instead of the ship figurine I picked up for you.“ mentions Lucas casually, reminding Mark of the toy ship sitting on his shelf at the bottom of the ocean. He smiles at Mark, sweetly and softly. “But the ship reminded me of the night we first met. Somehow.”

Before Mark can collect himself to form a response or try to question Lucas more, one of the wooden doors of the ship gets thrown open, banging loudly against the wall and the merman instinctually dives down below the surface of the sea.

Underwater, the voice of the other pirate becomes distorted but Mark finds that he is close enough to be able to make out what is being said.

“Lucas! Change of plans.” comes the other human’s voice, oddly sounding both less rough but more forceful than Lucas’ own familiar timbre. "You remember that unusually lucrative catch from the other day? Apparently, Captain Seo wants to meet up with another pirate to do something about it. He mentioned something about an auction and finding buyers.”

Mark hears the sounds of two sets of footsteps and a door being shut as the voice fades away and Mark is left alone, drifting in the silence.

From an old, long-forgotten memory, the innocent high-pitched voice of the cliffside boy plays inside Mark’s mind.

 _‘They’re like big cats! Only much less cute and far more scarier! You wouldn’t want to meet one in real life, Mark. It would eat you up and spit you back out again like a housecat with a fish!’_

Mark knows what tigers are like.

They’re big, scary, _dangerous._

Mark doesn’t bother taking his chances and leaves without checking the deck, turning tail and swimming quickly away from the pirate ship.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The palace floors are sleek and shiny, made from a reflective adamantite material that allows Mark to see his own distressed expression staring back up at him from where he lingers awkwardly in the middle of the entranceway.

This isn’t the first time that Mark has visited the palace; although Mark doesn’t have any royal blood running through his veins, he and the prince have maintained a sort of ‘acquaintanceship’ over the years (Mark doesn’t know if calling it a friendship would be overstepping his boundaries). Prince Taeyong had always made it a point to try and reach out and interact with the citizens but many of the merfolk find his presence rather intimidating and unapproachable, therefore the prince had mainly only succeeded at becoming closer with the younger children, including both Renjun and Mark himself.

Clearing his throat gingerly, Mark fidgets as he waits to hear what Taeyong has to say in reply to his story.

“So you’ve been meeting this human regularly, then?” asks the prince slowly. Mark thinks he can here disapproval ringing in the elder’s tone and nods quickly.

Prince Taeyong frowns but doesn’t comment any further about their relationship, asking instead “And you’re sure that it is him?"

A mental image of the red and black pendant reappears before Mark’s eyes, the memory of it weighing heavily in his mind.

A whispered confession.

“I’m sure.”

He sighs and feels very tired, swallowing past the growing lump forming in the base of his throat.

“Mark…” begins the prince uncomfortably and Mark feels sorry for putting him in this position. Pinning the boy with a remorseful stare, Taeyong says “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but you know what needs to be done.”

When Mark stays silent, the prince asks gently “Would you like me to send someone else to take care of it? Or would you rather do it yourself?”

Shaking his head, Mark doesn’t reply and continues to stare at the floor. Beside him, he sees his hand start to tremble so he violently clenches it to try and stop the shaking.

With an empathetic look painted upon his handsome face, Taeyong says sadly but resolutely “I understand how you feel, _truly_ , more than you could ever know. But our laws are in place for a reason, Mark. I can’t make an exception for you."

Mark feels the bite of his nails beginning to dig into his palm.

“What if he’s actually innocent?” he whispers, making one last final attempt at saving Lucas’ life.

The prince tilts his head in consideration and asks “Do you really believe that? With all the evidence stacked against him and after everything you’ve told me?”

Taeyong drifts closer towards Mark and takes one of the boy’s hands into his own.

Staring earnestly into Mark’s eyes, Prince Taeyong says “If you can honestly tell me that you think your human is innocent, I will believe you and let him go.”

Benevolently, Taeyong is offering Mark an escape route.

Mark knows that it no longer matters whether or not Lucas is actually guilty. The prince is gifting Mark with a choice.

But as Prince Taeyong looks at Mark expectantly, awaiting an answer, Mark finds that cannot bring himself to lie.

He says nothing.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


_The stories say that merfolk are cruel, heartless beings that lure unsuspecting humans to their doom with their pretty eyes and sweet smiles._

 _The stories are wrong._

 _The truth is that amongst the countless interactions spread over years, and decades, and centuries between humans and merpeople, of the two species, mankind has always been the most cruel; fishing merfolk for hunting or sport, to capture them as a beautiful trophy; mere playthings for the humans to gaze upon like inanimate artworks._

 _And so, over the years, the merfolk grew smarter, warier, and vengeful. For every beautiful mermaid stolen or handsome merman killed, revenge would be swiftly dealt in the form of the death of a human._

  


_One murder in exchange for another._

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Mark observes them from the shadows, face carefully hidden from view with only a pair of cobalt blue eyes visible above the water’s surface.

The other two pirates - Doyoung and Jaehyun, Mark has learnt to recognise from his conversations with Lucas - are casually chatting with Lucas before leaving him to his nightshift and retiring for the night. They look kind, playfully joking around with the younger boy in an easy camaraderie and Doyoung even affectionately ruffles Lucas’ hair once before they head below deck.

It tugs at Mark’s heartstrings. They look close but most of all, they look like good people.

 _But even good people do bad things during desperate times._

Mark waits until Lucas is alone before approaching cautiously. He wonders if the pirate will notice that he is more highly strung and skittish than usual today. Perhaps he’ll notice, and become suspicious, and Mark will have to come back and attempt _it_ again another day.

“Mark,” calls Lucas in a loud whisper, subtle as a fog horn. “You can come out now, they’re gone.”

Warily, Mark wades over to the side of the boat to greet the human.

“I missed you!” says Lucas, gazing fondly down at Mark, his smile doting. “Even though we just saw each other a couple of days ago, somehow I can’t get enough of you.” the pirate chuckles and stretches his arm down over the exterior of the ship, his finger lightly tracing the bridge of Mark’s nose and padding softly over his lips.

Mark’s heart feels like it’s breaking in two.

“Captain says that we’re sailing over to Japan soon so I won’t get to see you for even longer.” Lucas mentions, a childish pout appearing on his face, oblivious to Mark’s inner turmoil. “We’re meeting some guy called Nakamoto, I think his name was? Apparently, he’s a pretty big deal and we’re gonna be doing something important. I don’t really know the details though.” he muses, resting his head on his arms over the edge of the railing.

“That’s pretty far. I don’t think I’ve ever swam all the way to Japan before.” says Mark, miraculously managing to keep his voice steady.

“Ah, really? I’ve been once before!” chirps the human enthusiastically, gesturing in the air with a hand. “I think you would like it there, the countryside is really beautiful and peaceful. I wish I could bring you to see it.”

Lucas looks off into the distance, smiling in such a way that his whole face crinkles up in what should be an unattractive manner but only serves to make him look younger, boyish and pure. "Maybe one day.”

“One day.” repeats Mark, composure cracking on the second word.

“Would you like that?” Lucas asks delicately, his large eyes conveying his sincerity.

Wholeheartedly, Mark replies “I’d love it.”

Mark feels brittle inside, like the slightest wave could shatter his bones into knife-like shards, capable ripping him apart from the inside out.

Maybe Mark shouldn’t do this tonight. He can try again when Lucas returns from Japan, or a few days after that, or a couple of months from now.

 _Or never._

But Mark has a deadline. If he doesn’t do _it_ soon, Taeyong will send someone else to do the deed in his place and that just feels wrong. Like a betrayal, to have someone else carry out such an intimate act. Or perhaps, Mark is simply selfish and wants to keep every single part of Lucas for himself.

So that Lucas remains purely _his_ human and he _Lucas’_ merman.

“Then I’ll figure out a way to take you there.” says Lucas, grinning widely unaware of the dark thoughts inhabiting Mark’s head.

It’s a characteristic expression that Lucas often wears that toes the line between cheeky and cheerful, and Mark privately wonders how a human so charming and loveable could fall in love with _him_.

The edges of Lucas’ smile soften as he adds on, in a gentler tone. "I promise.”

Mark takes a good look at Lucas - _the features of his face, the scent of his skin, the tone of voice_ \- and commits it to memory.

He will carry this moment with him all the way to the bottom of the sea.

“Hey, Lucas.”

The human turns to him and waits patiently as Mark smiles, pouring all of his love and sincerity into this one sentence. He hopes that he can convey even a tenth of what he feels for Lucas to the other boy.

"I’m glad I met you that first night.”

“Stop!” giggles Lucas, face flushing a visible pink even in the low lighting. “You’re making me blush! I’m supposed to be the cheesy, romantic one."

Lifting one pale arm out of the water, Mark beckons his lover closer.

“Also, I want to tell you something.” says the merman before he leans in close, whispering into the human’s ear in an old archaic language, known only to merfolk; the syllables sounding strange and foreign on Mark’s tongue as he mouths the words slowly.

Lucas pulls back once he is finished, smiling bemusedly. “What does that mean?"

They say that merfolk never cry because they physically cannot and their hearts are made of stone. As Mark blinks rapidly to try to keep the prickle of oncoming tears at bay, he knows that it is not true. A crystalline teardrop makes its way down the side of the boy’s face, following the curvature of his cheek before slipping surreptitiously into the ocean.

The truth is that you can’t see the tears escaping their eyes underwater.

“It means _I love you and I’m sorry_.” whispers the merman, before reaching up and dragging the pirate down to the ocean floor.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Prince Taeyong waits at the edge of the underwater city, accompanied on either side by Renjun and Jeno.

The weight of Lucas’ body feels unbearably heavy in Mark’s arms but Mark doesn’t stop swimming. It’s like his mind has shutdown and his body is running on autopilot - complete the current task first and then deal with _everything else_ afterwards.

“Mark! You’re back.” states Taeyong as Mark comes into view.

“Are you alright?” asks Jeno, flitting over towards Mark. He takes in the other’s unnaturally pale face and says placatingly “It’s over now. What’s done is done. You did what you had to do.”

Mark lays down the limp body of his human lover on the ground and turns his back to the group, sobbing uncontrollably. Pushing off Jeno’s comforting hands, he sinks to the floor and stays there.

“Wait.” comes a faint voice. “This isn’t right.”

Confused, Mark spins around and blinks blearily through his tears. Renjun is shaking his head repeatedly whilst Taeyong hovers next to him biting his thumbnail anxiously.

“What do you mean?” asks Jeno, frowning.

Renjun fusses with the necklace around Lucas’ neck and pushes the unconscious human’s hair out of his face, turning the man’s head this way and that.

“The pendant is definitely correct. I’m completely certain it’s the exact same one, even.” says the smaller merman, nodding resolutely before continuing “But this is not the right human.”

“I-It’s not?” asks Mark, a bubble of hope rising in his chest.

“No.” mumbles Renjun with a pinched expression as he stares fixated on Lucas’ face. He elaborates “Lucas does fit the description that I gave, and I admit that he and the other man I saw look eerily similar, but I can confirm that this is not him.”

Renjun smiles reassuringly at Mark as he turns wide, disbelieving eyes onto the other boy, continuing “The other pirate looked less harmless than your Lucas and he carried himself with a more aggressive, assertive stance that I think would look unnatural on this human. From far away I could be mistaken, but up close they are definitely not the same person.”

 _It’s not his Lucas, could never be his Lucas._

The relief he feels at the knowledge that Lucas is innocent is short-lived when Mark is hit by the reality that it doesn’t make a difference because it’s too late to change anything now.

Although Mark didn’t do anything drastic, like snap Lucas’ neck or anything of that nature ( _he couldn’t bear to do something so brutal_ ), the minutes have been steadily trickling on by since Mark had brought Lucas down into the deep sea and the human’s fragile lungs have become full with water.

“Mark, you need to calm down.” says Taeyong firmly when he notices Mark’s distressed face, skin turning a pallid shade of blue-grey.

He feels like he’s hyperventilating, like he can’t get enough oxygen in his system and wouldn’t that be ironic?

 _A merman drowning underwater, how absurd._  thinks Mark as more tears begin to leak out of his eyes and mix with the water.

“It’s too late to bring him back to the surface now.” Mark chokes out, hiccuping and remaining hunched over on the ground. He doesn’t want to look at Lucas’ slack expression and limp body. He feels like a monster. Jeno’s arms tighten around him but Mark shrugs them off. He doesn’t deserve this comfort. “We can’t save him, can we?"

“Even if he miraculously hasn’t drowned yet, he’s inhaled too much water already. We won’t make it in time.” states Renjun carefully from his position by Lucas’ side.

 _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry._

Mark bites his own hand to try and stifle his cries. On his behalf, Jeno asks “Is there really nothing that we can do?”

Even in death, Lucas looks beautiful. A faint ghost of a smile lingers on his lips and he looks peaceful, like he is simply a visiting human sleeping amongst the merfolk.

Prince Taeyong clears his throat.

“There is one thing."

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The sea witch works quickly and intricately, and it’s a unique sight to watch his bustling hands become a blur as he attends to the unconscious human, none too gently. Every time the merman shuffles Lucas around roughly, Mark has to withhold the protective urge to slap his hands away.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” claims the witch, throwing a fox-like grin Mark’s way. “Of course, most people ask to be turned into a human, not the other way around. But surely, the reverse can’t be that difficult. I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be able to work.”

“Ten, stop scaring the poor boy.” chides Taeyong, crossing his arms from where he hovers watching in the corner.

“I can’t help it, he’s so cute.” laughs Ten, placing a old tome and an assortment of macabre-looking instruments on the table.

“I didn’t know that this was possible.” whispers Mark, awestruck and unable to take his eyes off of Lucas’ still-human body.

“This is powerful magic and it's kept secret for a reason. We don’t do this often, only in exceptional circumstances.” explains Taeyong.

“Then why are you allowing it this time?” asks Mark, turning to look at the prince. In the middle, Ten stops his activities and glances between them curiously.

“It wouldn’t do to take an innocent human life. It would make us no better than those despicable human poachers who prey on our kind.” says Taeyong, both his expression and tone severe. In a softer voice, he adds “And I don’t think that his story deserves to end like this.”

The prince swims closer and places a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Neither does yours, Mark.”

Eventually, Ten shuffles both of them outside so that he can continue the transformation process in private. On his way out, Mark takes one last look at Lucas and vows to himself to set things right if everything goes as planned.

 _I’ll make it up to you even if it takes the rest of our underwater lives, I promise._

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


As a human, he has spent his whole life feeling out of place on the land and on the sea and yet here, waking up in a foreign body at the bottom of the sea, Lucas has never felt more at home.

He opens his eyes and sees a boy, with alluring inhuman eyes, smiling down at him radiating love and relief and safety.

“Mark.” he breathes out in wonder.

The boy’s face crumples and he starts sobbing inexplicably, but the smile that he wears on his face is genuine and even with tears obscuring his eyes, he is the most beautiful thing that Lucas has ever seen.

Laughing in relief, Mark throws his arms around Lucas and brings his face close to Lucas’ own, cheeks brushing against each other.

The boy whispers in his ear.

“I’ll take care of you, Lucas."

It feels like a promise.

It feels like _home._

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. in case it wasn’t clear, there are a lot of red herrings that i intentionally placed to make mark doubt lucas but they are all coincidences. our tol boy is a good boy :’)
> 
> 2\. mark’s childhood human friend is donghyuck because i might live and breathe lumark but in what universe is there a mark and not a donghyuck okay
> 
> 3\. i made sicheng get caught ( _dw he's alive!_ ) because its my headcanon that he is auctioned off as one of the ‘beautiful living artpieces / exotic pets’ and is won by captain nakamoto who actually bought him with the intention of setting him free
> 
> 4\. the ‘diet angst’ tag might have been a lie. maybe. but the intention was there lasjdflkjsdf
> 
> 5\. i have an entire sequel for this outlined but i'm 99% sure i'm never gonna write it. i'm just... letting you know that the idea exists lmao
> 
> thanks for reading! ♥  
> [@neocheckmark](https://twitter.com/neocheckmark) on twitter


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